Sunny Edwards - Ryan Farrag's 'Squirrel face' jibe set the tone

Sunny Edwards and Ryan Farrag's war of words begun with 'Squirrel face' jibe

EDWARDS: I'LL CALL THE SHOTS

SUNNY EDWARDS INSISTS it will be his decision alone when it comes to setting the tempo for his big BoxNation bill-topper against Ryan Farrag at York Hall on Friday evening.

The 22-year-old defends his WBO European flyweight title against the 30-year-old former European champion in a match-up that has caught fire across social media platforms, with hostilities being exchanged on almost a daily basis.

"I see this fight playing out in one of two ways and really it is down to me to decide which way it goes," reasoned Sunny, who is entering into his ninth professional fight. "Don't get me wrong, I see him as a tough fighter in the sense that he'll be there and he will look to have a go in every round - he won't go missing or hide.

"But, if I stick to my boxing and moving, which I think I've displayed in certain fights and everyone in the gym knows I can be an absolute nightmare in that if I don't want to get hit, I will not get hit. For sure, I honestly believe hand on heart, I could completely outbox him for ten clear rounds no question about it.

"However, I've worked on a lot of things and I am a much changed fighter from what I was in the amateurs and even the last year. So I'll be looking to seize opportunities where perhaps before I didn't and, of course, I am headlining a BoxNation show so I am looking to put on a performance.

"I know he thinks I will be running away for the whole fight, but that is just that boxer vs fighter mentality where, when they lose, they can just say 'he ran away from me for ten rounds'. I just use ring skills."

Edwards went on to explain in his Fighter Diary column on www.frankwarren.com that he had no intention of kicking off an anti-social media campaign against his opponent when the fight was called, but an online olive branch was swiftly rebuffed by the 19-3 Farrag.

"He is a big step up for me, I know that. The three fights he's lost were against two world champions and a European champion, so he is a good fighter.

"Yes things have got disrespectful but, being completely honest, when the fight was made the day after the board ordered for him to fight Jay Harris for the British title, so it looked like I was going to have my biggest fight snatched away from me. So I messaged him saying I respected him for taking the fight and wished him the best in camp.

"I tried to be respectful because, at the end of the day, we both know the fight had enough interest that we didn't need any nonsense. It is a good level fight, hence the headline status without question.

"He then replied 'thanks squirrel face'. After that I thought 'this is gonna be fun then' and it set the tone for what has happened since."

Coverage of Edwards-Farrag on Friday begins live on BoxNation from 7pm